1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved cap and tube assembly adapted to be used in conjunction with a dispensing device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
If is often advantageous to attach a tubular member to the ejection orifice of a dispensing device in order to deliver a fluid material a distance away from the orifice. In conventional dispensing devices having provisions for such tubes, it is common to provide a tube that is repeatedly engaged with and disengaged from the orifice and that is held adjacent to a surface of the body of the dispensing device with tape or a rubber band when disengaged.
The conventional arrangement has proven unsatisfactory for a number of reasons. To use the tube, it must be detached from the holding means and pressed into engagement with the orifice. To conveniently store the dispensing device, the tube must then be removed from the orifice and reattached to the surface of the dispensing body. Also, to secure the cap to the dispenser body to thus be availed of the safety and convenience features of the cap, it is essential that the tube be disengaged and reattached. In addition to the inconvenience of this system, a substantial possibility exists that the tube will be lost if it is not carefully reattached to the dispenser body. In view of these earlier deficiencies, and for other reasons that will become apparent upon a reading of the following description, the present invention represents a significant improvement over the devices of the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,210, issued Sept. 14, 1976 to Kligerman, discloses a tube and cap arrangement in a gravity activated granular material dispenser. A portion of the tube, in its natural configuration, extends perpendicularly from one end of a cylindrical container, and can be deformed into a horizontal position adjacent to the end and within the periphery of a cup-shaped cap. The length of the portion of the extended tube is restricted to the diameter of the cap, however, and fluid flow control is only possible in a uniform increment, dispensation of each such increment being possible only by the inconvenience of tilting the entire dispenser. Further, the continuation of the tube within the body of the dispenser container, and the natural disposition of the tube in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the end, are arrangements that are unsuitable for use in various types of commonly used fluid dispensers in which a fluid is directed outwardly from an orifice in a direction that is substantially parallel to a surface from which a supply conduit extends. Additionally, the Kligerman device requires the cap to be replaced in a peculiar fashion, i.e., from a particular direction that will cause the extended portion of the tube to bend toward the center of the surface of the dispenser end. Failure to replace the cap in such fashion will result in a resistance from and possible deformation of the portion of the tube that is extended.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,476,111 issued Sept. 4, 1969 to Matheson, discloses a disposable syringe that is intended for a single enema administration or single vaginal douche. The dispensation of fluid material from the syringe is effected by gravitational force. The material flows downwardly through a distensible conduit and elongated nozzle that are in communication with the interior of a material container. The syring can be vended in a package which holds the conduit and nozzle in contact with a side of the container. However, as noted, the device is designed for a single application only. In use, the conduit can extend to a length of about 16 inches and is preferably inelastic. No provision is made for the replacement of the device after use in the package in a fashion similar to the fashion in which it is originally vended. Further, the arrangement is unsuitable for use in the various types of commonly used fluid dispensers described in the previous paragraph, and the only flow control means provided is the pinching of the conduit. Continued interruption of the flow thus requires the inconvenience of continued pinching.
Thus, there exists a need in the dispensing art for a convenient dispensing device that is provided with a tube that can be attached to a nozzle orifice of the device at the same time that a cap is secured to the body of the device. Preferably, this dispensing device could be promptly, safely, and conveniently stored after use and promptly and conveniently used after storage, and the tube could have a length greater than the diameter of the cap.